Reprise
by Skylark Starflower
Summary: Time changes all things, eroding memories of dear friends or loved ones, of special occasions, both happy and sad. But time also has a tendency to double back, and repeat itself over and again.


Authors Note/Disclaimer: I don't own it; it belongs to the friendly folks at Level-5/Sony.

Three things inspired this epic crack trip. One was a discussion I had with Nick Contra about Max getting eaten by a Mimic and ending up in Mimic Land (don't ask). Another was the flooring in the Moon Flower Palace (did anyone else find that place incredibly creepy, or was that just me?). And the last was the conversation at the end of the game (chapter 7, I mean) between Cedric, Eric and Borneo. There's only ever been one moon… Tee hee hee. Oh, and I can't remember if there was an actual species name for the moon bunnies from DC 1. If there is one and you remember what it is, please let me know? Otherwise, I'm just calling 'em rabbits. Kay thanks.

**Prologue**

The clicking sound of footsteps echoed off the walls, adding another layer to the creepiness of long hallway. Blue flowers pulsed on the walls, lighting the area around them with a dim glow, but it was not enough to dispel the darkness beyond. The floors were laid with aged, ripped carpet, broken every few metres by a sheet of cracked glass. Beyond the glass, stars streamed through a milky blue haze of seemingly endless space.

The young boy was both fascinated and horrified by his surroundings, a little scared, but he wouldn't let it get to him. He had to keep moving. There was still something he had to do, something he had to accomplish. Someone he had to face, to fight and to defeat. Weapon firmly in hand, he stepped forward.

A hand grabbed him from behind, lifting him easily from the floor. Arms pinned to his side, he was helpless as his captor turned him around so they were face to face. The boy's eyes were drawn to his enemy's. They burned red with hatred. He could do nothing but squirm helplessly as his pendant, a shining red stone set in a gold casing, was pulled from around his neck. Laughter, evil and gloating, echoed from the villain, as he triumphantly held the pendant aloft, tossing the young boy aside.

As he fell backwards towards the floor, a redheaded girl appeared, running out from the darkness towards him, trying to catch him before he landed.

"No! Max!" She was still too far away when he hit the ground. Glass shattered beneath his back and he continued to fall backwards, down.

Everything turned blue and stars swirled around him, as his descent seemed to slow. He realized with a start that he was in the world beyond the glass, but when he looked up, he could see no sign of where he'd entered from, just more stars spilling away into the distance. Looking down, he found he was slowly drifting to the ground, a walkway leading towards something he couldn't make out on the horizon.

He touched down lightly and paused to look around. There was nothing save the long bridge to the object on the horizon, the sky the same milky blue, star-ridden space. He began to walk.

The trail was long, but as he moved forward, visions of people and things formed, ghost-like out of the blueness. An old woman with her graying pink hair in pigtails, a cloaked man with pointed ears and silver hair, an immense tree with eyes that seemed to stare right through him, a strange creature that kept his whole body covered, a stately old man with a large horn, a young woman in noble dress carrying a feathered fan. He had no idea who or what any of them were, but he continued to walk forward.

He wasn't sure how long he'd been walking, the object on the horizon growing invariably closer. The trail turned to cobbled stone, edged with beds of red and yellow flowers. A new figure emerged to shimmer ethereally before the boy. A young woman with flowing blonde hair, dressed as of royalty. Her smile was strange, halfway between joy and sorrow. He paused to study her, but she faded away almost as quickly as she'd appeared.

It seemed to have taken hours to reach, the object at the end of the path now close enough to see clearly, to tell what it was. The moon loomed before him, radiant with a hostile red light. He reached out a hand towards it, to touch it.

A small form bounded out before him, blocking him, shaking his head. The rabbit was wearing blue robes, patterned in yellow. His red eyes were piercing; something about him, about everything the young boy had seen, seemed somehow familiar…

X X X

Maximilian awoke with a start. What was going on? He'd had the same dream now for the last month. What did it mean? He didn't know any of these people, had never seen any of them before. And why was he always twelve? He was no longer a child; nine years had passed since he'd been that age. Now he was a young man of twenty-one.

He rubbed at his temples, feeling a headache coming on. These dreams always caused headaches. What a way to start the day, he thought, looking out the window where the sun was just beginning to rise on the horizon. He figured he might as well get ready for work, since he was already awake.

He'd been running Cedric's maintenance shop in Palm Brinks since the old mechanic had moved to Heim Rada. His father still didn't approve, but Max didn't care. He was old enough to make his own decisions, and working with machines was what he wanted to do.

He'd also decided to move out. His new place was as far away from the mansion as he could get while still being close to where he worked. His father had refused to help him pay for anything, but that was fine by Max. He didn't want the help. Nor did he need it, work steady enough for him to be able to live comfortably, even if it wasn't as comfortable as it had been as a child. Again though, this didn't bother Max. Fancy clothes and large houses had never really interested him, anyway.

He slipped into a pair of faded green overalls and an equally faded green shirt. Around his neck he looped a gold pocket watch, the only thing his father had ever given him. He wasn't entirely sure why he still wore it, but there was something about it, some feeling he had, telling him he should have it, or at least something like it, with him at all times. Max wasn't about to tempt fate, and besides, with it, he always knew what time it was.

He pulled on his hat and left for the five-minute walk to work. Friends and townsfolk he passed on the way waved or said greetings and he'd nod and smile in response. Palm Brinks had always been a pleasant community.

Being in early, Max arrived at the shop just as the post did. The mailman handed him a small package he'd just been about to put in the box, tipped his hat as Max thanked him, and moved on.

As Max unlocked the store, he checked to see whom the package was from, discovering that there was no return address. Now that's odd, he though, but opened the parcel anyway. He dumped the contents out on his desk and stared. It was the same pendant from his dreams.

Carefully, he reached out to touch the red stone, wary of it though it seemed harmless. When it didn't do anything when he touched it, he lifted it by the chain and, removing the pocket watch, slipped it around his neck. It felt like the most natural thing to do, though he couldn't be sure why.

Memories stirred deep in his mind, images of himself as a young boy, running, laughing, crying, all while wearing the same red pendant. Shaking his head, he wrote it off as déjà vu caused by his dreams. He'd never seen the pendant before, there was no way he could have had it as a child.

Brushing these thoughts aside, he got to work.

X X X

Max sighed and pulled the door closed behind him as he returned home. It had been a long day; an engine that had been brought in had given him some trouble. The piece in it that was broken had been in a tough spot to get at, and by the time Max had finally been able to get to it, fix it and then put the thing back together, it had been almost quitting time. He hadn't gotten half of the things done that he'd hoped.

He slumped down in his favorite chair, glad to be home and just gazed out the window, mind wandering, idly fingering the red stone resting on his chest. It had been a weird day, he admitted to himself. He didn't know what was going on, and he wasn't sure he wanted to. He was just starting to doze off when someone knocked at the door.

"I wonder who that could be?" he thought aloud. Standing, he went and opened the door. A young woman with long red hair stood outside, a grim smile on her face. She spoke before Max could get a word in.

"What do you think you're doing, moving? You know how much trouble I had finding you?" She paused for a second, noting his pendant. "Oh, good, you got it. Come on, Max, let's go! We need your help."

She grabbed his arm and tried to lead him off, but he pulled free of her grasp, more than a little shocked. "Hey, let go! Who are you? What do you want with me?"

She stopped and stared at him. "It's me, Monica. Don't you remember?"

He shook his head. "I'm sorry, I've never met you before in my life. How do you know who I am?"

Monica seemed disappointed. "We saved the world together when we were kids. You really don't remember?"

"No. Saved the world? What are you talking about?"

"Elena never said anything about this…" muttered Monica. She looked back up at him. "Well, that doesn't matter. You've got to come with me."

"Hey, hold on. Who do you think you are, ordering me around?" Max was starting to get annoyed. "I don't know you, I don't know what you want, leave me alone."

Monica was starting to get frustrated, and decided to take another approach. "Do you want to know what that Atlamillia is for or not?"

"Atla…what?"

"That red stone of yours. I have one too, see?" Monica held up her arm to reveal an armlet set with a shining blue stone. When Max saw it, a rush of memories suddenly overcame him. But they came too many too fast, overwhelming him. He looked startled and then flopped forward, unconscious. Monica blinked.

"Max?"


End file.
